Eastgate (District)
Eastgate is a largely residential area, with many of its residents working in other sections of the city. Some residents of Eastgate must walk for 2 or more hours to get to and from their places of business but the lower crime rate and cheaper housing prices make the travel worthwhile for many of them. Some larger employers actually hire elephants or carriages to carry their employees to work and there always numerous freelance carriages or rickshaws ready to run people to their destinations for just a few copper pieces. Because the local guard captain is also the Nomarch of the district council, and has the full support of the Fourth Lord (who isn’t on any Council but reports directly to the Primarch, Lord Harrows) politics in Eastgate tend to be no more than quiet, local matters between neighbors. Gilltown More than a small neighborhood than a building, Gilltown is at the southern edge of Eastgate, just north of the of the Precipice Quarter. It is a secluded section of the district, behind rows of cheaper housing for Post Guards and poor families, in a depression not visible from the main roads. The area is set directly on the bedrock of the shore and is riddled with long tunnels that lead under the Precipice Quarter into the Bay of Kortos. The area, smelling strongly of stale water and rotting shellfish, it is home to aquatic-faring races and has no formal shops that exist here—indeed, most buildings are temporary lean-to’s or tiny, old baked-clay huts, but it is possible to buy items from the sullen, suspicious residents for the right price. Postern The nortern gate of Val Royeaux, also simply called Postern, is the smallest of the city’s gates and the only one kept closed and locked as a general rule. As it’s only 50 feet high and 40 feet wide it lacks the splendor and size of the Outer Gate of Azlanti Keep but shares the thick stone and balconies within the gate itself, features common to defensive structures in old Temerian architecture. It was once the primary focus for siege attempts until the newer Sallyport was added. During the Siege of the Prophets in 3298, forces of the Prophet Kings actually managed to breach the gate itself but were unable to penetrate the city. A carved stone set in the last hall within the Postern commemorates the deepest the enemy forces reached. It reads “And No Farther”, which is also the motto of the Post Guards. The Postern mainly serves as the headquarters of the Post Guard, the district guard of Eastgate. These guards remember that they were the one force that nearly failed Val Royeaux and train more rigorously than even the First Guard, ready for the next siege. They are officially assigned to only guard the Postern in times of war but have a history of signing up for dangerous, suicide missions. The last Imperial Guard to the late Empress—and the man who allegedly killed her and the princess—was a Post Guard who regularly underwent such missions before gaining the notice of the Empress. Mercene Manor The largest estate in Eastgate and the ancestral manor of House Mercerene, the manor is a large fitted stone-and-brick building with wide covered courtyards, long winding garden paths and white marble colonnades. The architecture is clearly of Arthedainian design, which clashes with the Karatan hangings, statues and ornamentation. As the home of Lord Scion Hamma, Mercerene Manor is famous for having unusual guests invited to fancy dinner parties (think Slughorn) and occasionally even longer visits. Lord Mercerene is long retired from the adventuring life but still loves to hear details of the adventures of those associated with the Pathfinder Society. He often sends invitations to groups who return to the city from travels abroad and wines and dines them in return for stories of their exploits. He’s also been known to act as a middle man of sorts for adventurers seeking a specific set of skills or lore. Hama does this as a courtesy and makes no promises about the quality of contacts he can offer. The Blue Tower The tallest building in Eastgate, and among the tallest in the whole city, the Blue Tower is made of pieces of light blue coral fitted together to form a spiraling horn topped with a more conventional stone lighthouse. So tall is the Blue Tower that it can focus a light beyond Val Royeaux’s harbor. The tower is home to the Winged Sandals, an order of dedicated messengers who worship Heironeous. They claim to trace their lineage to squires and apprentices to Heironeous himself before him Ascension, who they say commanded them to be ready to take messages to anywhere in the world. When secrecy and dependability are the top priority, the Winged Sandals are willing to carry a script to anywhere for which a map exists. The cost is reasonable (1 gp per page of the message) though delivery dates are never offered. Messages to go outside of Temeria or to someone with an unknown location, can start costing up to thousands of gold pieces, but there are always those willing to pay. Backhill's From the street, Backhill’s seems to be nothing more than a large thatch roof sitting a foot or two off the ground. In fact, it’s a popular meadhouse owned by Dege Backhill (famous for his Underbrew, a spiced mead particularly favored by those of Numerian blood) that is essentially a covered basement with earthen walls. The main hall features huge smoking pits that run nonstop day and night. Though lacking the clientele of establishments in the Ivy or Petals Districts, Backhill’s is popular with members of the Post Guard. The off-duty guards here can sometimes be hired for dangerous missions into the wilds of the surrounding landscape and also occasionally hire experts themselves with missions paid for by high-class patrons.